ARM Staff, ACE-ENA Scientists Teach Students about Earth System Processes

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Published: 19 August 2017

Students and teachers from a workshop/summer course on earth system processes in the Azores visited the Gulfstream-1 aircraft, which is part of the ACE-ENA field campaign. The aircraft was stationed at Lajes Field, a base run by the Portuguese Air Force. Image courtesy of Eduardo Azevedo.

The program took place July 2 to 7 at Academia de Juventude e das Artes da Ilha Terceira (Academy of Youth and Arts of Terceira Island) in Praia da Vitória. It coincided with the first intensive operational period of ACE-ENA, a field campaign that aims to improve understanding of low clouds and atmospheric particles in a remote marine area. Program organizers geared the subject matter toward postgraduate students from earth and environmental sciences.

Azevedo welcomed the 21 students with an overview of Azores geography and environment. Wang led a session on atmospheric particle processes that also included a look at ACE-ENA. ARM-specific courses included: ARM Facility and ENA infrastructure (taught by Nitschke), ARM radar operations and science at ENA and ARM facilities (Giangrande), and ARM Aerial Facility‐manned and unmanned aircraft to conduct atmospheric science (Schmid).

Students visited caves and lava flow sites related to the 1761 volcanic eruption on Terceira Island. They also toured the Gulfstream-1 aircraft, which collected measurements of clouds and atmospheric particles as part of ACE-ENA. The G-1, which Pacific Northwest National Laboratory operates for the U.S. Department of Energy, made five flights a week in July for ACE-ENA. Each flight lasted about four hours and centered on Graciosa Island, the home of the ARM ENA atmospheric observatory.

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The ARM Climate Research Facility is a DOE Office of Science user facility. The ARM Facility is operated by nine DOE national laboratories.

Sponsors of the workshop include City Hall of Praia da Vitória, Government of the Azores, Regional Fund for Science and Technology, Observatory of the Environment of the Azores, Portuguese Air Force, and Portuguese National Foundation for science, research, and technology.